1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to tamper indicating seals of the type which are utilized to provide a visual indication of tampering if access is attempted to a container on which the seals are placed and more particularly to such seals which are adapted to be used with containers having doors or other closure panels for sealing openings therein after articles are placed within the containers.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Security seals are utilized in many different environments to discourage theft or tampering and/or provide visual indication of tampering with respect to unauthorized access to containers, vehicles, storage areas, secured rooms, meters, valves as well as other items which are subject to tampering. Many such seals are known in the art as shackle seals. Shackle seals includes elongated straps which are insertable through an open housing after the straps have been wrapped around a portion of an object to prevent the portion of the object from being displaced or moved without breaking the seals. By way of an example, a pivotable latch handle for a door of a delivery vehicle may have a shackle-type seal placed around the handle and through a fixed object adjacent to the handle with the strap of the seal being inserted through a lock housing of the seal in such a manner that the strap is locked within the housing in a closed encircling relationship with respect to handle and the fixed object. In this manner, the opening of the door is prevented unless the seal is tampered with. However, if the seal is tampered with to obtain access to the cargo area, it is designed to fracture or break. In this manner a visual indication is provided by the destruction of the seal that someone has gained or attempted to gain, unauthorized access to the cargo area of the vehicle.
To prevent tampering with such shackle-type seals by prying the straps free of the lock housings associated therewith, such seals include weakened portions, such that if any attempt is made to bypass the interlocking relationship between the seal straps and the lock housings, the seals will fracture or otherwise break, thereby giving a visual indication that they have been tampered with and also preventing the reassembly of the seals by individuals who may have tampered with the seals to gain access to a controlled or restricted area.
Such shackle-type seals are effective when they can be placed in encircling relationship about or through an object to prevent its unauthorized movement. However, there are many instances where shipping and other types of containers are not provided with closures which are constructed in a manner which is suitable for use with encircling security seals. By way of example, some shipping containers, including some airborne shipping containers, include doors or closure panels which can be opened in different manners, such as by pivoting up or out relative to the containers in such a way that conventional shackle seals cannot be used. There is thus a need to provide seals to give a visual indication of tampering and to discourage tampering with such containers.
The present invention is directed to a tamper indicating seal which is specifically designed for use with airborne shipping containers and other enclosures which have doors or closure panels which can be opened by pivoting or moving in one or a plurality of motions relative to openings in the containers. The tamper indicating seals include three basic components including a housing adapted to be mounted on an edge of a container door. The housing has an opening therein and a weakened area adjacent the opening which will fracture if the seal is tampered with. The seal also includes a shackle having an elongated strap which extends outwardly through the opening in the housing and a base which is designed to be inserted within the container so as to be engageable about a frame or other member of the container such that the shackle cannot be pulled from the container when a force is applied to pull the strap outwardly through the opening in the housing. A third component of the seal includes a locking cage having a plurality of teeth which interlock with teeth provided along a portion of the strap. The cage is received within the opening of the housing such that when the shackle has been placed with its base anchored to the interior frame or other member of the container and the strap extended through the locking cage in the opening of the housing, the shackle can be pulled outwardly relative to the container when the door or closure panel is closed, to thereby secure the strap to the housing and preventing opening of the door until the seal is broken. The locking teeth of the cage and shackle strap are structured to permit the strap to be pulled outwardly relative to the container but prevent the strap from being forced in an opposite direction in an attempt to disengage the shackle base from the frame of the container.
In the preferred embodiment, the cage is formed in a generally U-shaped cross section having three leg portions, two of which oppose one another. The opposing leg portions include teeth for interlocking with the teeth extending outwardly from side edges of the elongated strap. The angle of the teeth of the cage member and of the elongated strap are such as to prevent any withdrawal of the strap relative to the cage once the strap has been pulled tight after the door is closed.
Also, in a preferred embodiment, the housing has a generally inverted U-shaped configuration having an outer flange for engaging an outer face of the container door or closure panel, a central portion for seating against an edge of the container door, and an inner portion extending adjacent an inner face of the door. A recessed channel is formed adjacent to the opening in the housing of a size to slidingly receive the strap member and cage therein.
The base portion of the strap member may include a first V-shape trough portion for securely receiving a bottom edge of a frame of the container door and an outwardly extending generally horizontal flange also for use in engaging a flat frame surface of a door or other closure of a container. Further, the base includes an outer flared flange which extends inwardly of the container frame such that manipulation of the base of the seal relative to the frame of the container in an attempt to remove the strap once the door is closed is not possible.
In the preferred embodiment, the locking cage includes an upper flange which is engageable with the central portion of the housing when the cage is fully inserted within the opening therein, thus limiting the degree of vertical movement of the cage with respect to the housing.
In each of the embodiments, identification numbers, letters or other indicia may be applied to the outer flange or other portion of the housing to specifically identify the seal for tracking purposes and inventory control.
It is the primary object of the invention to provide a security seal which may be utilized with various type of containers wherein one component of the seal engages an interior member of the container, another component engages a movable closure or door and a third component locks the other components together such that any attempt to open the closure relative to the container will result in the destruction of the seal thus giving a visual indication of tampering.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide security seals particularly adapted for use with various airborne shipping containers wherein the seals are made of plastic components which can be made in an economical manner and which can be used to discourage tampering with such containers and wherein any attempt to bypass the seals will result in a rupturing of the seals to thereby give visual indications of tampering.